The New Year is coming. I am still thinking of how to improve myself for the first month and then give up. If you are as well, here are some suggestions for New Year’s resolutions:

1. Become Healthier
Instead of making a resolution to lose weight, why not make one to become healthier. Eat right and stay fit and you will get a super-hot body in the process. You can try doing exercises in your room or going to the gym on a regular basis. Eating wise, if you have the willpower, you can try the Master Cleanse or a vegetarian diet.

2. Become a Vegetarian
Vegetarians live longer than the rest of us. Many people see making the switch to vegetarianism or veganism a tough one. It is easier than it seems if you have a few tips: Learning to cook can increase the variety of food you eat. There are tons of foods for vegetarians to eat, but sometimes you just might need to step out of the way and visit a health food store. The most important tip, however, is to stick to it. If you eat meat by mistake once, forgive yourself and move passed it. Just stick to it.

3. Learn to Cook
By learning to cook, you eat less processed foods and generally become healthier. It is also a great way to entertain guests or dates. Plus you will save a bunch of money on food.

4. Saving Money
Saving money is important for your long term goals. It is a great way to develop positive attitudes about improving yourself. The way to save money is simple to make more than you spend. Easy right? Right… Well if you are human and filled with desired to buy useless things, just try to get those under control. Do you really need that bread maker or Prada bag? Two of the best ways I have found to save money: 1) Make a list of things I want to buy and not buy anything until it has been on the list for at least one month. 2) Put money into a savings account every month as if it were a bill you had to pay, and avoid credit cards if you can.

5. Get Your Debt Under Control
Saving money is great, but many of us are still in the red on our credit card statements. The same tips on saving money apply on paying your credit cards. An extra tip: Cancel as many credit cards as you can and/or cut them up. The less credit cards you have the less your desire will be (and the higher your credit score will be).

6. Drink Less Alcohol
Alcohol is also a huge chuck of my biweekly paycheck. Also, unless you are 40 and drinking only a glass or two of red wine a day it is not very health. Alcohol dehydrates you and can cause some other havoc in your life if you go a little overboard that night you were at the club with your girlfriend’s best friend. Try limiting yourself to two drinks per night when you start off. Also, if you are really brave, you can try just giving up alcohol all together, but due to how awesome alcohol is I would advise against it.

7. Quit Smoking
Another vice that takes up a large chuck of one’s paycheck is smoking. Plus it kind of makes you look like a douche… Smoking is something of the last millennium. We all know it is bad for us, but damn that nicotine is addicting. The way I quit smoking was just to go cold turkey. It will be hard at first, but just keep in mind your goals. (And, if your a pansy you can try those patches.)

8. Get a Girlfriend/Boyfriend
Now that you quit smoking you want some hot people to sleep with. The main objective here is not to try to force yourself into anything. You can however try to be more outgoing, meet new people, etc. That way you will have some fun instead of stressing out.

9. Stress Out Less
Classes, work, exams, term papers, girlfriends, pet turtles… we all stress out a lot more than we need to. The best way to get over stressing out is to develop a laissez-faire attitude. Does this mean “Do not study for exams, do not do work, etc.”? Well for me personally, it usually does. But even so, I am much happier than I was before. You should still do all your work, but just keep in mind that when it’s over it’s over and there is nothing you can do about it anymore. Just do your best and remember most of what you do today will have very little impact on how happy you are five or ten years from now.

10. Spend More Time with Friends and Family
Now with all that extra time you have from not stressing out, you can hang out with the people that matter most. Play a board game, watch a movie, or just talk. This time will be some of your most cherished memories when you get older. Believe it or not you will forget about what happened in the season finale of Heroes (though it was amazing). Do the things that matter most.

11. Help Others
Helping others can be extremely rewarding. I have a bunch of positive experiences painting autistic children’s faces for Halloween with the help an old friend, setting up food at a food bank, doing magic for kids in an orphanage, and much more. There are tons of ways you can help others. Charity work is fun and you can do it with friends, but you do not even need to do charity work. You can help others individually like helping a friend move or bringing soup to you sick mom even though you had to drive a couple of hours in the rain. Be creative!

The Best Tip
The best tip for all your New Year’s resolutions however is to stick to it! Do not give up. Tell people about what you are doing so they will help you keep going. Good luck!

I like the list. I can relate to the vegetarian idea. It is a great lifestyle, but you still have to pay close attention to your diet. Many people think it is going to be healthier if you don’t eat mean, but in some cases it could be still bad for you. When I turned Vegan I still ate too many processed foods such as fake meats. I have since become a raw foodist, but I still can eat too many of the wrong things if I don’t pay attention like too many nuts or a high sea salt intake. One good goal is to merely eat more unprocessed foods.

@TheDutchSchoolKid: For some great recipes just use Google. I go to vegweb.com for recipes all the time, but that is for vegetarian recipes.

@Philip: The raw food thing is very weird to me. I went to this earthy raw food/vegan place the other day and it was some of the best food I ever had, though it was totally different. Thanks for the tip, I will try to make some of my own.